62!

Without a doubt or an asterisk, Mark McGwire and his mighty swing broke Roger Maris’ home run record Tuesday night with plenty of games to spare.

Historic No. 62 was a line shot to left, punctuating a chase that reinvigorated the sport and captivated the nation.

McGwire connected with two outs off Steve Trachsel, setting off a wild celebration in Busch Stadium. He was so caught up in the moment that he missed first base as he rounded the bag and had to return to touch it.

From there, McGwire got handshakes from every Chicago infielder and a hug from catcher Scott Servais. Cub right fielder Sammy Sosa, who had 58 home runs, ran in from right field to hug McGwire and give his rival a high five.

McGwire was mobbed by his teammates at home plate, where he hoisted his 10-year-old batboy son Matt into the air.

McGwire then ran into the seats to hug the family of Roger Maris, whose 37-year-old record he had just broken.

There was no scramble for the souvenir. The 341-foot home run was the shortest of the season for McGwire, and landed in an area where no fan could get it just over the left-field wall.

Instead, the ball was picked up by a ground crew worker, Tim Forneris, who said he will give it to McGwire.

“I knew it was going out, and it went right over the edge, and I said, ‘That’s going out,’ ” he said. “So I ran on to the field and got it.”

With the sellout crowd still standing and cheering, McGwire grabbed a microphone to address the fans.

“To all my family, my son, the Cubs, Sammy Sosa. It’s unbelievable,” McGwire said. “Thank you, St. Louis.”

McGwire, who grounded out on a 3-0 pitch in the first inning, hit his solo shot on the first pitch at 8:18 p.m. CDT. It triggered an 11-minute delay, baseball’s biggest midgame celebration since Cal Ripken broke Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games record in 1995.

The home run, despite its short distance, surely will rank as one of the biggest in history, up there with the ones hit by Bobby Thomson, Bill Mazeroski, Hank Aaron, Carlton Fisk, Kirk Gibson and Joe Carter.

The 34-year-old slugger also did it at home, just like he wanted. The Cardinals begin a five-game road today, and McGwire wanted to share the moment with the fans and city he has embraced.

McGwire’s race began on March 31 when he hit a grand slam on opening day against the Dodgers, but his chase to become 1998’s home run champion is not finished.

With the Cardinals out of contention, McGwire may take off a few days before the season ends Sept. 27. He is only four homers ahead of Sosa, who figures to play every day down the stretch with the Cubs still in the NL wild-card race.

Like Maris, McGwire broke the mark in an expansion season. But consider this stat: This year, home runs are being hit at a rate of 2.05 per game; last year, the average was also 2.05.

McGwire accomplished his feat in the Cardinals’ 145th game, while Maris’ Yankees played 163 in 1961. Before Maris set his record, Commissioner Ford Frick declared any record would carry a “distinctive mark” if it did not beat Babe Ruth’s mark of 60 in 154 games. But that decision was reversed seven years ago.

McGwire picked on his share of young pitchers, hitting eight home runs off rookies, but other victims included Orel Hershiser and relief aces Robb Nen and Rod Beck. He connected twice against World Series MVP Livan Hernandez, including a 545-foot monster drive that was the longest in Busch history.

McGwire actually caused more problems for Arizona’s stadium than its first-year pitching staff. He hit a batting-practice drive that resulted in $2,000 damage to the scoreboard at Bank One Ballpark.

His slam off Ramon Martinez started a run in which he homered in the first four games of the season, tying Willie Mays’ record. In April, he became the first Cardinal to hit three homers in a game at Busch.

McGwire hit his 400th career homer in May and hit his 37th home run in June, tying the major league record for most before the All-Star break.

In July, he set the mark for the fastest to reach 40 homers in a season. In August, he came the first player to reach 50 home runs in three straight years. And then came September and the most memorable month of all.